A Tactical Ethic

Bestselling author and combat veteran Dick Couch examines the importance of battlefield ethics in effectively combating terrorists without losing the battle for the hearts of the local population. A former Navy SEAL, Couch warns that the mistakes made in Vietnam are being repeated in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that the stakes are even higher now. His book takes a critical look at the battlefield conduct of U.S. ground-combat units fighting insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since the prize of the fight on the modern battlefield is the people, he warns that every civilian death has a consequence. Every killing in the insurgent battlespace has both strategic and moral significance for U.S. warriors. A harsh critic of immoral combat tactics, Couch offers realistic measures to correct these potentially devastating errors. Book jacket.

Dick Couch is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and served with Navy Underwater Demolition and SEAL Teams in Vietnam. He is the author of twelve other books, including The Sheriff of Ramadi, The Warrior Elite, and Chosen Soldier. He has lectured widely and served as adjunct professor of ethics at the U.S. Naval Academy.